The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-04-07

'ohu PosSesSeS many ii not Ill INC du-
vantages of bottom lands without dan
ger from overflow. The ridge land is
peculiarly susceptible. of fertilization.
The surface of the county generally is
undulating and the soil is well drained.
No part of the county of significant ex-
tent but what is well adapted to cult
vation, and no country is better watered,
and the waters are pure and sparkling.
The water power of the county is unsur-
passed. We venture tho assertion that
no territory of similar extent can be
found with more water-mll facilities
and same population with so many wa
ter-mills in actual operation.
Products.
The products of the county are cot
ton, corn, pOtatoes-sweet and Irish -
rice, oats, millet. grasses, sorghum,
sugar cane, tobacco, jute. indigo. and
almost the entire catalogue of garden
vegetables, and all kinds of fruits and
numerous varieties of the grape. To-
bacco, jute and indigo are cultivated,
but to a limited extent, and yet sufli-
cien'ly to demonstrate that their culture
would be profitable. Lincoln county,
through the enterprise of one of its
most intelligent farmers. Mr.. G.. Men
e!es, has the honor of being the pioneer
county of the State, if not of the
Union, in jute culture. This gen
tleman has also demonstrated that
the tea plant and white mulberry can
be successfully grown here An inspec,
ton of his vineyards and those of Mr..
F. Parsons, at Montgomery Station,
would satisfy the most skeptical that
this is grape growing section. Straw
berries can nowhere be raised more sue
cessfully, while bla kb1rrieS-a splen-
did fruit-grow wild in abundance
Our home-raised tobacco is most ex-
cellent, and it is astonishing that its
culture is not more general. While
Lincoln is not reckoned as one of the
principal cotton producing counties in
this section of the State, yet the reason
is that her farmers have learned that
they can and do promote their indie
pendence by devoting a larger share OF
their attention to diversity of crops.
Various grasses grow to perfect on
here, Including the celebrated Lespe-
deza. or Japan clover, which grows
spontaneously, producing from two to
four tons per acre; also white and red
clover. AS a stock-raising and dairy
country it has no superior in the world,
and many of our people are turning
their attention in tbs direction.
Timber.
The territory of Lincoln county orig.
inally was heavily timbered in ali of its
parts. Nearly four-filths of the land is
yet so. The lumber industry of the
county is probably its mo important
interest, there being no less than .;
large saw mills and one large lumber
manufacturing company now in opera
ton, employing on an average 20 hands
each, and turning out millions of feet
of the finest long-lcaf yellow pine lum.
Der annually. The timber of the
county includes not less than fifty va.
ricties, the pine, oak, hickory and gum
predominating. The following varie
ties of the finest quality are abundant
Pine, long and short leaf; white, red,
black, Spanish, and water oaks, early,
late and curly hickory. pecan, maple,
elm, ash, beach, red, black and tupu
gum, persimmon, holly, magnolia, bay
cherry, sycamore, poplar, willow, iron
wood, etc
The Inhabi ants.
The people of the county are largely
native, descendants in great part from
an ancestry who emigrated here from
the Carolinas and Georgia. According
to the census of 1880 the foreign -borr
population only numbered 140 a:
against 13,407 natives, of whom foul
were Indians The inhabitants are
nearly all an agricultural people. ant
they are honest, Industrious and hos
p table. They are temperate anG
moral, and a large proportion are
church-going. Tie Baptist denomina
ton of Christians predominates, bu
the Methodists are numerous and pros
porous, besides goodly sprinkling Of
other religious sects. No better evi,
dence of the sobriety and good morals
of the people could be given than thai
they have voted the liquor traffic out oI
their territory. They are law-abidine
and tolerant, and hearty welcome
will be and is extended to immigrants.
schools.
Fairly good public schools are main
tanned in the county, and these are i'm
proving in grade. At Brookhaven
Whitworth Female College is located,
an institution ranking in size the fourth
in the United States. and in the thor.
oughness and efficiency of its training
surpassed by none.
1t only remains for us to add that
The Health of the County
is most excellent. The character oi
the soil. its altitude, its proximity to
the Gulf of Mexico, from which during
the whole summer it enjoys delight
full breeze. renders the climate the
most salubrious, and is a guarantee
against all malarial diseases. In the
winter. owing to our southern latitude.
the mercury will not find its way tC